Bases loaded with two outs and the home-team Saints have a one-run lead in the top of the seventh.

Zach Brown is facing Vinny Cannavo, Davenport West’s leadoff man and best hitter. Strike one, strike two, strike three, ballgame.

Xavier withstood three seventh-inning errors to eke out an 8-7 victory Wednesday night at Ken Charipar Field.

“I had only thrown three innings this year until coming in to pitch tonight,” said Brown. “I just had to concentrate on throwing strikes and pitch to contact.”

Brown pitched 2 2/3 innings in relief, giving up no hits and striking out two, none bigger than the final out of the evening.

Cannavo and Nolan Clark had back-to-back doubles off Adam Pick in West’s two-run first inning, but Corbin Woods got one of those back with a solo blast in the bottom of the inning.

Xavier came back in the bottom of the second with a three-run blast by Ryan Meaney and added three more in the third, capped by an RBI single by Meaney. Brown drove in the final run in the fourth with an RBI single.

West kept chipping away at the Saints' lead. The Falcons scored three runs in the fourth inning and two more in the fifth off reliever Bryce Grimm.

Brown came in to get the final two outs in the fifth with two on to preserve a one-run lead. He shut them out the rest of the way for the rare three-inning save.

Cannavo and Alex Riessen each had two hits for Davenport while Riessen and Dayne Rodriguez each had two RBIs.

Woods led the Saints with three hits. Brown and Meaney each had a pair of hits and Meaney finished with four RBIs.

“I was looking for a first-pitch fastball in the second inning and it was right there,” said Meaney.

“I think hitting is going to be one of our strengths,” said Woods. “If I can be patient at the plate, I think I can get a lot of hits, but I think this team can hit up and down the lineup.”

Xavier travels to Prairie on Friday to take on the Hawks in a conference doubleheader.

DAVENPORT WEST (7)

Cannavo, ss, 4 1 2 0, Clark, 2b, 3 0 1 1, Wiese, dh, 2 2 1 0, Peak, p,0 0 0 0, Wells, p, 0 0 0 0, Banks, p, 0 0 0 0, Simmons, cf/p, 4 1 0 0,Riessen, rf, 3 1 2 2, Latham, 1b, 3 1 0 0, Thiessen, c, 4 0 0 0, Rodriguez, 3b, 4 1 1 2, Black, lf, 2 0 0 1. Totals 29 7 7 6.

XAVIER (8)

Grimm, cf/p, 3 0 1 0, Woods, ss, 4 2 3 1, Mattke, 1b, 4 1 1 0, Ratz, rf, 2 1 0 0, Scallon, 3b, 0 0 0 0, Pick, p, 2 0 1 0, Clouhy, cr, 0 0 0 0, Hines, lf, 1 0 0 0, Brown, 3b/p, 3 2 2 1, Helms, c, 3 0 1 0, Harriott, cr, 0 1 0 0, Meaney, lf, 4 1 2 4, St. Andrews, 2b, 3 0 0 0. Totals 29 8 11 6.

Davenport West  200 320 0 - 7 7 3

Xavier          133 100 x - 8 11 6

Peek, Wells, Banks, Simmons and Thiessen. Pick, Grimm, Brown, and Helms.

W - Pick L - Peek. 2B - Cannavo, Clark, Riessen 2, Rodriguez. HR - Woods, Meaney. SB - Rodriguez, Brown.